Published: Sunday, November 18, 2012 at 10:45 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 10:46 p.m.

A Houma dermatologist and her daughter are helping the local cancer center battle breast cancer one screening at a time.

Sarah Haydel’s grandmother was a 35-year survivor of breast cancer, so the fight against the disease is deeply personal to her.

“She was very serious about early detection,” Haydel said. “She knew what the risks were and how to watch out for them, and it saved her life.”

But Haydel knows not everyone has the knowledge or resources her grandmother had. So she and her 12-year-old daughter Brooke started an annual raffle to raise money to provide that to them.

Last year, their first raffle raised $10,000. This year, it raised $12,000.

Brooke Haydel said she has a target for the next one.

“I want us to raise $15,000,” she said. “We need to keep getting better at it.”

The money goes to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at Terrebonne General Medical Center. Specifically, the money pays for the hospital’s mobile screening unit to make trips into the community to serve residents who couldn’t otherwise afford preventative care.

The Haydels visited one of the sites the unit visited Saturday, the Save A Lot store on Grand Caillou Road.

The mobile unit consists of two RV-style trucks. One is like the waiting room for a doctor — patient advocates help fill out paperwork and determine medical histories. The second, a bright pink truck, contains the advanced equipment for full mammograms.

The mobile unit will next visit the Rouses Supermarket in Morgan City on Dec. 1.

Houma resident Vicki Williams was one of about 50 people who received screenings at the trucks Saturday. She said preventative care like this is important to her.

“My sister had breast cancer and didn’t find it early,” Williams said. “She had to have a full mastectomy and chemo.”

Williams said she couldn’t afford this kind of preventative care on her own.

“I lost my job, and I don’t have insurance,” Williams said. “I couldn’t pay for this if it wasn’t for them. I’m very grateful.”

Amy Ponson, the cancer center’s director of development, said the unit screened 650 people last year, detecting abnormalities in 70 patients. Five women screened were diagnosed with some form of breast cancer, which may have saved their lives.

The center is looking for donors like the Haydels to help it pay for more screenings and expand its efforts, Ponson said.

“Anyone who’s looking for a good cause, this is someplace you can do a lot of good,” she said.

If you or your business is interested in donating, call the cancer center at 223-3871.

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

<p>A Houma dermatologist and her daughter are helping the local cancer center battle breast cancer one screening at a time.</p><p>Sarah Haydel's grandmother was a 35-year survivor of breast cancer, so the fight against the disease is deeply personal to her.</p><p>“She was very serious about early detection,” Haydel said. “She knew what the risks were and how to watch out for them, and it saved her life.”</p><p>But Haydel knows not everyone has the knowledge or resources her grandmother had. So she and her 12-year-old daughter Brooke started an annual raffle to raise money to provide that to them.</p><p>Last year, their first raffle raised $10,000. This year, it raised $12,000.</p><p>Brooke Haydel said she has a target for the next one.</p><p>“I want us to raise $15,000,” she said. “We need to keep getting better at it.”</p><p>The money goes to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at Terrebonne General Medical Center. Specifically, the money pays for the hospital's mobile screening unit to make trips into the community to serve residents who couldn't otherwise afford preventative care.</p><p>The Haydels visited one of the sites the unit visited Saturday, the Save A Lot store on Grand Caillou Road. </p><p>The mobile unit consists of two RV-style trucks. One is like the waiting room for a doctor — patient advocates help fill out paperwork and determine medical histories. The second, a bright pink truck, contains the advanced equipment for full mammograms.</p><p>The mobile unit will next visit the Rouses Supermarket in Morgan City on Dec. 1.</p><p>Houma resident Vicki Williams was one of about 50 people who received screenings at the trucks Saturday. She said preventative care like this is important to her.</p><p>“My sister had breast cancer and didn't find it early,” Williams said. “She had to have a full mastectomy and chemo.”</p><p>Williams said she couldn't afford this kind of preventative care on her own.</p><p>“I lost my job, and I don't have insurance,” Williams said. “I couldn't pay for this if it wasn't for them. I'm very grateful.”</p><p>Amy Ponson, the cancer center's director of development, said the unit screened 650 people last year, detecting abnormalities in 70 patients. Five women screened were diagnosed with some form of breast cancer, which may have saved their lives.</p><p>The center is looking for donors like the Haydels to help it pay for more screenings and expand its efforts, Ponson said.</p><p>“Anyone who's looking for a good cause, this is someplace you can do a lot of good,” she said.</p><p>If you or your business is interested in donating, call the cancer center at 223-3871.</p><p>Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.</p>